Urgency to build more housing
Céline Fremault is the new Minister for the Environment of the Brussels Capital Region, but with a wide-ranging remit: Housing, Environment, Energy,Handicapped Persons... Her objective is to draw a link between all these areas and create a better life for citizens, particularly the most vulnerable. She speaks to us about housing in particular.

| 18/05/2015

Kristiaan Borret: it’s time for action
The Brussels Region government has just appointed its second Master Architect, or ‘Bouwmeester’. Kristiaan Borret thus took over from the first incumbent, Olivier Bastin, in January of this year. Right at the beginning of his mandate, this former Antwerp Bouwmeester gives us his thoughts in its interview.

| 18/05/2015

Financing smart cities
‘Smart Cities & Sustainable Development’ is the name of the new programme, developed jointly by the European Investment Bank and Belfius Bank, to finance intelligent cities. A first in Belgium – and in Europe – which should enable communes to benefit from financing at reduced interest rates in order to progress towards the status of Smart City. The rules of the game have been set and the kick-off was given last year in June.

| 18/05/2015

Southern expansion for Antwerp
“Over the coming 15 years, Antwerp expects to see its population grow by 70,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, or about 30,000 families” says Rob Van de Velde, alderman for spatial planning, heritage and green spaces. “And that means an attractive housing and services offer has to grow along with it at the same time”. The chances are great that a substantial share of these new Antwerp residents will be settling down to the south of the city centre, because that area is already bustling with building activity.

| 18/05/2015

Public-Private Partnerships: added value is key to success
PPP – Public-Private Partnership in full - is a concept that was slow to get off the ground in Belgium. The formula was eyed most suspiciously, and was in the first instance geared towards financing projects for which the necessary funds were not readily available, while the added value of a PPP to a project was not, or hardly, taken into consideration. But, as we were able to establish at the ‘PPS in Vastgoed (PPP in Real Estate)’ Study Day organised by Management Producties at thebeginning of March, the tide finally seems to be turning, provided the formula pursues a win/win for all parties concerned.

| 18/05/2015

The Brussels office market is returning to good health
Was 2014 the year of recovery? The figures clearly seem to indicate this, both in terms of take-up and of investment. By contrast with 2013, the public sector was particularly active in 2014. It generated almost 50% of the total take-up of around 460,000 m², an increase of close to 39% compared to the previous year.

| 18/05/2015

Tour & Taxis is evolving above and below ground
At the beginning of this year, Extensa acquired the 25% of shares in Tour & Taxis held by each of the previous two other joint shareholders, and became 100% owner of the site. Michel de Bièvre, CEO of ‘Projet Tour & Taxis’ which is the Extensa company developing the site, tells us of the latest developments.

| 18/05/2015

Smart City Institute aims for better city living
The rapid growth in urban populations is bringing with it the emergence of challenges in domains such as mobility, housing, education, culture and safety, not forgetting resource management of course. The concept of cities known as ‘intelligent’ is more and more emerging as a response to the various problems allied to the growth in urban populations. Within this context, the Smart City Institute has just been created by the Management School of the University of Liège, with the support of both public and private partners. A first in Belgium described to us by Nathalie Crutzen, professor at the HEC-ULg and director of the new Institute.